Aboriginal cultural heritage includes physical artefacts such as rock art, fish traps, scarred trees and stone tools. Victoria has some of the highest concentrations of rock art in Australia. Shelters that people lived in over 20,000 years ago have rock art that is unique to Victoria.
Cultural heritage includes burial places and Ancestral Remains. It is also significant places where customs, ceremonies, dance and stories are passed from generation to generation. It is the knowledge about how to care for Country and the plants and animals that live there. This is sometimes called intangible heritage.
First Peoples’ culture holds living wisdom that all Victorians benefit from. Cultural heritage enriches the identity of all Victorians by showing us the complex living culture, history and spirituality of the first custodians of this land. The land on which all Victorians live.
"Recognising, supporting and celebrating First Peoples' culture strengthens and enriches the identity of al Victorians".
Natalie Hutchins, Minister for Treaty and First Peoples, Statement to Yoorrok Justice Commission
Updated